What started out as a village ropery has since developed into an international company with a history stretching back over four generations. With 250 employees, represented at seven sites in four different countries and manufacturing over six million metres of rope every month, we are one of the world’s leading rope manufacturers.

The Ullmann rope factory was founded in 1915 by Albert Ullmann in Wetzikon, Zurich. Several years later, the owner operated business was passed to Josef Ullmann and relocated to Abtwil, St Gall, where a cable railway was constructed in 1950. In 1968, the youngest son, Martin Ullmann, took over ownership of the rope factory and at the beginning of the 1970s founded the first branch office in Chur, Graubünden. A new factory hall was constructed in Abtwil and the purchase of a rope beating machine enabled ropes to be produced mechanically for the first time.

With the patenting of a fully automated machine for cord production and the purchase of rope braiding machines, rope manufacturing increased rapidly. New customer groups were developed and in 1982, a second branch opened its doors in French-speaking Switzerland. The factory building in Abtwil quickly reached its capacity limits and new production facilities for the firm were constructed in St Gall, and inaugurated in 1984. A ground-breaking innovation was patented; the Usacord Shock-Line. Production was steadily increased and the machine facilities expanded, and from that point on, ropes made from high-tech fibres were also included in the product portfolio. The sole proprietorship firm incorporated in 1986 to become the Seilfabrik Ullmann AG. At the end of the 1980s, the firm took its first steps into overseas markets.

Production facilities were set up in Costa Rica and one year later, the Seilfabrik Ullmann AG took over Bremer Tauwerke in Germany. The organisation underwent ISO certification in the year 2000. Due to a challenging raw material situation, production was relocated from Costa Rica to Thailand in 2001.

Another major milestone was reached in 2008 with the acquisition of mamutec AG with operations in Zug (Switzerland) and Hungary, and the founding of Corderie Ullmann SARL in France. The organisation entered the DIY store/do-it-yourself market. In 2012, the Seilfabrik Ullmann AG was awarded the Golden Velvet prize for outstanding Swiss pioneering achievements by Swiss Textiles. The site in Hungary was expanded in 2014 to include additional production and assembly halls. In 2015, the Bremen plant moved into its own offices and workshops. In 2016, the branch office in French-speaking Switzerland was relocated to Burgdorf, Bern. A training centre for occupational safety, load securing and lifting technology was set up in 2017. The company’s facilities in St Gall were expanded. Operations of the Ullmann Group rope factory are now managed by the fourth generation of the family, Patrick Ullmann and Roy Ullmann, and comprises six locations with three production sites.